Art of manufacturing ladles



, May 11, 1937.

M. w.'Go| DB1:-:RG 2,079,765 l ART OF MANUFACTURING LADLES Filed oct'. 31, 1935 ATTORNEYC'S.

INV NT 7479 Z// I Patented May 11, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ART OF MANUFACTURING LADLES Application October 31, 1935, Serial No. 47,560

4Glaims. (Cl. 228l) This invention relates to improvements in art of manufacturing ladies.

Heretofore in foundry practice it has been customary to utilize relatively small size ladles which hold onlyv a limited quantity of molten metal. Necessarily, therefore', these ladies must be frequently refilled and a large number kept in constant use in order to handle mold requirements. Thus a relatively large number of attendants are needed to take care of the plurality of `small ladies fwhich results in high overhead. I-t has been impractical heretofore to utilize ladles of larger size as the'large quantity of molten metal would radiate an excessive amount of heat, making ity impossible for attendants to remain near enough to take careV of theA pouring operations. Furthermorey in viewof the large capacity, `the ladlesV could not be emptied rapidly enough to' prevent solidiflcation therein.

The present invention vcomprehends means whereby the use of large ladies is rendered entirely practical and this result is brought about through the Vuse of insulation and through the use' of a protecting cover; The present application relates more particularly to the insulating features, the cover operating mechanism forming subject matter vof companion veases Serial No. 746,042, filed September 29, 1934 and Serial No. 43,146, led 'October 2, 1935, the present application being a continuation in part of said application Serial No. 43,146.

In the rconstruction of ladles it is common practice to line the metallic bowl portion with fire clay and this 'lining-i process is usually carried out by the user. The'rre clay is inserted in the ladle whilein a wet fand plastic condition and when it hardens there is considerable moisture left within' the pores thereof. If the ladle were iilled with hot metal while in this condition, the heat would bake the exposed surface of the fire clay lining and therebyftrap the moisture between the `metal wall ofthe ladle and said eX- posed surface ofa;..theilining. Furthermore, the heat ofthe molten -metal would change the moisture into steam andcause undesirable sweating, With the small ladies now used this .condition is notsufciently seriousto cause trouble and it can` usuallyy beA eliminated by applying heat to the `exterior heat conducting wall of the ladle before it is filled with molten material to there- `by drive the moisture through the exposed surface of the lining before said surface has been baked to non-porous condition. With `an insulated ladle, however, exterior heat is ineffective to drive out moisture as the insulated walls of the ladle do not permit passage of the heat to the fire clay lining. In View of the fact that the present invention contemplates insulated ladles of large capacity, it is important to provide a construction and method of manufacture which will obviate the danger of moisture remaining in the fire clay and changing into steam, as this condition would be so aggravated in a large container as to result in the creation of steam pressure of sufficient force to cause distortion of the ladle bottom and disruption of the lining.

It is therefore one of the objects of the present invention to provide an improved ladle constructed in a novel manner to provide for the use of insulation so that the heat of the molten metal will be retained within the ladle to keep the metal in said molten condition and to protect the attendants from radiating heat, the ladle being further so constructed as to obviate the afore-mentioned danger of moisture remaining in the re clay.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved ladle having double walls formed in a novel manner to provide for the effective use of insulation therebetween.

A further object of the invention is to provide a ladle as above described wherein the insulation is a permanent part thereof as distinguished from a mere temporary exterior covering, and wherein the bottom of the ladle is apertured to provide for freeing of moisture from within the fire clay lining, which moisture cannot be 4freed in the ordinary manner due to the permanently insulated structure of the ladle bowl.

A further object of the invention is to provide in combination with an insulated ladle as above described, a cover therefor which is also lined with insulating material.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in the improved art of manufacturing ladles and all its parts and combinations, as set forth in the claims and all equivalents thereof.

In the accompanying drawing illustrating one complete embodiment of the preferred form of the invention, in which the same reference numerals designate the same parts in all of the views:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the improved ladle and cover;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the ladle and cover, parts being broken away; and

Fig. 3 is a bottom View thereof.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the ladle bowl proper has an inner cylindrical Wall 5 formed of rolled steel or other suitable material. A bottom 6 of similar material has its periphery welded to the lower edge of the cylindrical wall 5 as at 1. The said bottom is provided with a plurality of apertures 8. After the inner wall is formed the outer cylindrical wall 9 is placed therearound. The upper portion of said wall is formed of a separate inwardly inclined strip l0 welded as at II to the upper edge of the wall 9 and also welded as at l2 to the exterior of the inner wall 5, the line of Welding being spaced somewhat below the upper edge of said wall 5. Small tubes I3 have their upper ends welded in registration with the apertures 8 of the bottom 6. Insulation I4 is then packed between the walls 5 and 9 and a layer is also placed adjacent the exterior of the bottom wall 6. An outer bottom wall I5 is then inserted in position and welded to the lower periphery of the wall 9 as at I6 and also welded to the lower ends of the tubes I3, said wall I5 being formed with apertures I'I which register with the lower ends of said tubes.

A cover I8 constructed in the manner set forth in companion application Serial No. 746,042, led September 29, 1934 is attached by means of operating mechanism I9 to the ladle bowl. Said operating mechanism is fully described in said co-pending case and is provided with a handle receiving member 20 which when depressed will cause the cover to be elevated vertically until the cover flanges 2I clear the upper edge of the ladle. The operating mechanism is also constructed so that when the cover is in said elevated position, by pushing laterally on the control handle, the cover may be swiveled in a horizontal plane to expose the top of the ladle. The inside of the cover is preferably formed with a lining of insulating material 22 which is held in position by any suitable retaining means such as wire mesh 23, said mesh being held in position by nuts and bolts 24 depending from the inner side of the cover.

Before a ladle is used it must be lined with refractory material such as fire clay. This re clay lining, designated by the numeral 25, is inserted while in a wet and plastic condition and when it hardens there is still considerable moisture trapped between the exposed surface 26 of the lining and the metallic wall of the ladle. With an ordinary uninsulated ladle, heat can be applied to the outside of the bowl and the metal heat conducting wall will quickly transfer said heat to the re clay lining to drive moisture through the exposed surface 26 of said lining.

Also, where a ladle is to have a non-permanent exterior covering of insulating material, similar heat can be applied before the exterior insulating cover is attached to the bowl. With the present ladle, however, wherein the insulation is permanently embodied in the double wall of the bowl, passage of heat applied externally would be prevented, and thus this ordinary method cannot be employed to dry out the re clay hning.

Accordingly, with the improved construction and method of manufacture, the bottom of the ladle is formed with the ducts I3 forming apertures entirely through both layers of said bottom. When the fire clay lining is inserted, moisture in the side portions will drain down toward the bottom of the re clay and will ultimately work out through the ducts I3. Furthermore, when molten metal is placed in the present ladle or when heat is applied internally it will serve to change the moisture within the fire clay lining into steam and drive it out through the bottom ducts I3. Thus there is absolutely no chance of steam being trapped within the iire clay lining to cause distortion of the ladle bottom or disruption of the lining and in a ladle of the size contemplated considerable pressure would be developed if this steam were trapped and the results might be serious.

Ladies constructed in accordance with the Present invention can be manufactured in such size as to hold an amount of metal normally requiring several times as many small ladles. Without the cover and insulated wall it would be impractical to build a ladle of such size, as the ladle cannot be emptied rapidly enough to prevent solidication of the metal therein, particularly where a large ladle is designed for use in the lling of a large number of small molds. Furthermore, an uninsulated ladle would radiate an excessive amount of heat, making it impossible for workmen to remain near enough to take care of the pouring operations. The present invention, however, makes the vuse of a large ladle entirely practical, thus eliminating the necessity of frequently refilling a large number of small ladles and thereby cutting down the number of workmen needed for pouring operations.

Although only one form of the invention has been shown and described, it is obvious that various changes and modications may be made and all of such changes and modications .are contemplated as may come within the scope of the claims.

What I claim is:

1. A foundry ladle comprising an inner metallic bowl portion and an outer metallic bowl portion, each of said portions comprising a surrounding side wall and a bottom welded thereto, insulation between said bowl portions, a lining of refractory material within said bowl and tubular means between said inner and outer bowl portions, said inner and outer bowl portions being formed with apertures registering with said tubular means so that the latter form outlet ducts for moisture.

2. A foundry ladle comprising an inner metallic bowl portion and an outer metallic bowl portion spaced therefrom, each of said portions comprising a surrounding side wall and a bottom welded thereto, insulation between said bowl portions, a lining of refractory material within said bowl, means connecting the upper edge of said outer bowl portion with an upper side part of said inner bowl portion, and tubular means between the bottom of said inner and outer portions, said bottom portions being formed with apertures registering with said tubular means so that the latter form outlet ducts for moisture.

3. A foundry ladle comprising a bowl portion formed of spaced metallic walls, insulation in the space between said walls, a lining of refractory material within said bowl, said bowl being formed with a plurality of apertures extending through the spaced walls and insulation, which apertures are sufficiently small in size to prevent material `loss of heat while providing an outlet through the insulation for expelling moisture from the lining, and means at said apertures for preventing ingress of moisture.

4. A foundry ladle comprising a bowl portion formed of spaced metallic walls, insulation in the space between said walls, a lining of refractory material within said bowl, tubular spacers between said spaced wall portions and extending through the insulation, said spaced wall portions being formed with apertures registering with said spacers, and said apertures and spacers providing outlet ducts which are suiciently small in size to prevent material loss of heat while providing outlets through the insulation for expelled moisture from Athe lining.

MAX W. GOLDBERG. 

